stint

¹

[stint]

verb (used without object)

1. to be frugal; get along on a scanty allowance.

   Don't stint on the food.

   They stinted for years in order to save money.

2. Archaic.,  to cease action; desist.

verb (used with object)

1. to limit to a certain amount, number, share, or allowance, often unduly; set limits to; restrict.

   Synonyms: skimp, scrimp, economize

2. Archaic.,  to bring to an end; check.

noun

1. a period of time spent doing something.

   a two-year stint in the army.

2. an allotted amount or piece of work.

   to do one's daily stint.

3. limitation or restriction, especially as to amount.

   to give without stint.

   Synonyms: tour of duty, tour, term, shift

4. a limited, prescribed, or expected quantity, share, rate, etc..

   to exceed one's stint.

   Synonyms: portion, allotment

5. Obsolete.,  a pause; halt.

stint

²

[stint]

noun

1. any of various small sandpipers of the genus Calidris, as the least sandpiper.

stint

¹

/ stɪnt /

verb

1. to be frugal or miserly towards (someone) with (something)

2. archaic,  to stop or check (something)

noun

1. an allotted or fixed amount of work

2. a limitation or check

3. obsolete,  a pause or stoppage

stint

²

/ stɪnt /

noun

1. any of various small sandpipers of the chiefly northern genus Calidris (or Erolia ), such as C. minuta ( little stint )

Other Word Forms

• stintedly adverb
• stintedness noun
• stinter noun
• stintingly adverb
• stintless adjective
• unstinted adjective
• unstinting adjective
• unstintingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of stint¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English verb stinten, stenten “to cease,” Old English styntan “to make blunt, dull”; cognate with Old Norse stytta “to shorten” ( stunt ¹ ); noun derivative of the verb

Origin of stint²

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English; stynte, stint; further origin unknown

Word History and Origins

Origin of stint¹

Old English styntan to blunt; related to Old Norse stytta to cut short; see _stunt ¹

Origin of stint²

Old English; related to Middle High German stinz small salmon, Swedish dialect stinta teenager; see _stunt ¹

Example Sentences

There’s no getting around the potentially fatal blow to Tory credibility inflicted by the party’s most recent 14-year stint in power.

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He was born during his father’s stint in Montreal, and though he was largely raised in the Dominican Republic, he has often said that he considers Canada his second home.

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Tension underlies the preparation for the festivities: Nick is arriving home after a stint of several months in a psychiatric institution, after crippling anxiety forced him to withdraw from college.

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After a stint in Paris, she took over the winemaking from her mother.

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He understood the industrials sector following stints at Ford and Caterpillar.

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Related Words

• assignment 
• duty 
• job 
• spell 
• stretch 
• tour